COMMENT PAGE - just some more thoughts,
this time on signing and cutting players.

Updated on the 10 of Sept., 2002

It is
getting to that time of the year when players are trying out for all the
difference Junior and / or rep teams around the lower mainland. Each player is
trying to present himself in the best possible way so as to show that all the
hard work of the summer training regiment has made him a new and improved
player.

Why I
said new and improved is that most players have been scouted for the last few
years and if you are in the top two lines in your hockey club (minor hockey,
Junior A, B etc), most teams above have put together quite a file on your
ability to perform, compete, etc. Coaches, scouts, GMs know what you need to
improve on and they want change......for the better.

Unfortunately,
most players do not have a clue as to what they need to improve on, especially
if they are on the top two lines of one of the above teams. Most players in this
position are usually to full of themselves, especially since they can see that
they are on top of the pecking order and have been told one to many times how
good they are.

I
encourage players to have the courage, no matter what the level, skill or
otherwise, to ask questions about their performance and constantly evaluate
themselves. All top businesses do this on a constant basis. How else can you
measure your performance, course direction and success. IT TAKES MANY YEARS TO
BECOME AN ACCOMPLISHED SKILL PLAYER!!!

Coaching
Junior hockey and having to go through the tryout process, talk to players,
recruit players, talk to parents, I am constantly amazed at the complete
ignorance that exists out there about how to move upwards through the
developmental process and into the team selection process onto a hockey club and
especially what coaches and scouts look for. Now, I am now saying here that the
process shown below is everyone, but I tried to explain as simple as possible
and in picture form, some basic comparisons.

So to
restate the above; what I have done is to try to create a visual concept of how
a coach, myself in particular,

actually
compares player to player within my league.

1 -
Player size (not important really but just a reference point for the rest of the
comparison) relative to players within the league.

2 -
Average size of players within the league or quantity of players of that size
within the league. Example:

A
particular team may be described as 1x1, 2x2, 5x3, 7x4, 3x5 (total of 18
forwards/defense). This may describe teams within the league as well.

3
- Size is not really a factor (or it shouldn't be) but how a player performs
relative to his competition is. The diagram below
represents this. Having rated a player above in relative size compared to
overall league, I then compare his combative
(one on ones) skills versus players smaller, same size or bigger. Rate perform
based on hitting, competingfor
pucks, in front of the net, etc. Looking at the above chart and comparing
performance against a team in particular or, overall league, a player may have
success competing against a majority of smaller players (1,2) but average to
minimal success against players (3-5). Thus, performance competing against
larger players who dominate the league becomes a liability and pulls him out of
the game.

4
- The diagram below represents a comparative analysis based on skating speed
with the puck versus comparative players within the league.

5
- The player is then compared by analyzing races won against relative checking
players within the league based on their speed. As shown (relative to players
within the league - don't forget), never caught to always caught.

6
- It stands to reasons that some players are faster without a puck than they are
with a puck and this in its self can be useful. Again, comparison is made
against players within the same league.

7
- Again, did you as a player always get caught (with few exceptions) as below or
never caught as top demonstrates.

8
- And, how does a player make decisions. Decisions, quality of especially is all
relative to space. Shown below is an example of critical space. How much room
does a player need to make a quality decision within the league desired. If a
player cannot make a quality decision under proximal pressure (1) or (2) then in
a game where faster players are utilized, success becomes minimal.

The following diagrams
are for defensemen.

9 - Shown
below are one to one comparisons. The first diagram is versus the average
skating forward.

13 -
Shooting skills. In this comparison, I am looking for effective shooting range
(power, accuracy, timing, anticipation, etc). When most teams collapse the zone,
a effective outside shooter is critical to open up the zone.

Hopefully, the above
information will shed some light on why cuts take place. Sometimes, it just
comes down to; too many power forwards, too many right hand shots, too many
short range shooters. You get my drift here. The first rounds of cuts generally
break down into one of the 4 basic rules;